


Isolation

by shnuffeluv



Series: Whumptober 2019 [7]
Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Child Protective Services, Gen, Rescue, Social Workers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 21:57:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20937389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shnuffeluv/pseuds/shnuffeluv
Summary: For Whumptober Day 7: Isolation. Patton is locked in a basement.





	Isolation

Patton didn't know how long he had been alone, sitting in the tiny basement filled with boxes everywhere and no lights to speak of. He had accidentally broken a glass trying to get some juice and his stepfather thought that some time in the basement would "set him straight," even though Patton had insisted that it was an accident, and he wouldn't do it again, it had just slipped, _just please don't throw him in the basement please please please!_

Virgil had come and gone at some point, trying to undo the lock on the basement door unsuccessfully. Patton loved his brother, but he was a little relieved. He didn't want Virgil to be in trouble because of something that Patton had done.

Patton coughed. It was dusty in the basement, and Patton was suspecting that he might be allergic to dust. He certainly hadn't been breathing well for a while, at any rate. He stood, feeling around where he was, trying to find something comfortable to sit on, but there were just stacks of cardboard boxes. He shuffled around regardless, having nothing to do with his legs growing stiff.

Without warning, there was yelling upstairs, some coming from his stepfather and his mother, but more from a voice he didn't recognize. The muffled shouts got louder, and Patton could have sworn he heard Virgil mumbling something right outside the basement door. "Where's the key?!" a new voice demanded.

More muffled shouting, sounding something like words Patton wasn't supposed to use.

"Sir, if you don't give me the key, I'll be kicking this door down!" the voice exclaimed. "Get the key!"

Patton listened closely, hearing some grumbling and shuffling around. Then there was the sound of a padlock unlocking, and the clanging sound of metal as the basement door opened and Patton blinked as the basement was suddenly flooded with light. He winced as the shouting grew more distinct. "There, you see, he's fine, you can leave now!" his stepfather shouted.

The new voice, which seemed to be attached to the man standing in the basement doorway, turned to look at where his stepfather must have been. "You locked him in your _basement,_ I can't just let that go without consequences! That's _child endangerment!"_ the man shouted. "I'm taking him and Virgil out of your custody!"

Patton shrank away as the man came downstairs. "Hey, Patton? Are you ready to get out of the basement?" he asked softly.

Patton nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I really didn't mean to drop the glass, I promise it was an accident," he said.

"I believe you," the man said, offering his hand out. "Come on, your brother Virgil's been worried about you."

Patton hesitantly took the hand and the man led him upstairs, where Virgil was standing, cheeks stained with tear tracks and his entire body shaking like a leaf. "Patton!" he exclaimed, rushing over and hugging him.

"It's okay, Virge, I'm okay," Patton breathed.

"Patton, is there a bathroom down there?" the man asked.

"Oh, there's a training toilet downstairs," Virgil said. "We use that if we get in trouble and get locked down there."

The man glared at their stepfather. "This has happened before?" he growled.

"Never for this long," Virgil said softly. "Patton was down there all weekend."

The man glared at their stepfather. "I'll be talking to you in a minute. Right now, I'm taking these two out of your custody."

Patton must have been dreaming. The man led him and Virgil out of the house. Virgil turned to the man and said, "Thank you, Mister Thomas. I was worried Patton would be stuck down there forever."

Mister Thomas just smiled. "I wouldn't let that happen. Now both of you are going to talk to a couple people, make sure you're okay physically and mentally, all right? The first guy you'll meet is named Doctor Picani, and he's super nice. I'll be checking in on you by the end of the day, though, I promise. Right now I just need to speak to your stepfather."

Virgil nodded and led Patton down off the porch and to where a woman was standing by a car. "Come on, Patton, get in, I promise it's super nice and we won't get in trouble."

Patton hesitantly followed Virgil into the car. "What happened while I was down there?" he asked. "Who's Mister Thomas?"

"Well, I told the teacher about where you were when she asked, and they took me to this room in the school I had never seen before, and Mister Thomas was there and he asked a bunch of questions, including about Mom and Charles. And I answered them all with the truth, for once, because I wanted you out of the basement. So Mister Thomas got a bunch of people, I think they're police, and brought me back home so I could show him where the basement was so that he could get you out," Virgil explained. "He said he's a...I think he called it a 'social worker.' He helps kids who get locked in basements all the time."

"Oh," Patton said. "So...do we not have to stay with Mom and Charles anymore?"

"They don't know yet," Virgil said. "But I'm just happy we got you back."

"I thought I was gonna go crazy down there," Patton said, before coughing. "The dust was making it really hard to breathe."

"Oh! You need water!" Virgil said. He reached into a cooler that was on the floor and passed Patton a bottled water. "There's snacks, too, but you need water first."

Patton gratefully took a sip as the woman got in the car and drove them to wherever they were going. When they got there, Patton could see a cheery man who was wearing a sweater that looked really warm standing there and waving at them, and Virgil helped Patton out of the car. "You must be Patton and Virgil!" he chirped. "I'm Doctor Picani, and I'm going to ask you both some questions and after that we can talk and maybe play a little bit while we wait for the doctors and Mister Thomas to get here, sound good?"

Virgil nodded, so Patton agreed too.

"Wonderful!" Doctor Picani said. "Now, let's get inside so we can start talking. The sooner we finish that, the sooner we can get to the fun stuff! Do either of you like cartoons?"

Virgil and Patton shared an excited look before they both started talking about their favorite cartoons at the same time, trying to figure out which was better. Doctor Picani nodded along to all their talking as he led them inside, and Patton thought that if this was what happened when he got locked in the basement for three days, that he should have done that forever ago, because being away from Mom and Charles and getting to talk to people who listened to him and were nice to him and Virgil was awesome!

**Author's Note:**

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End file.
